THE WANDERER - Sharon Creech

The WandererSetting the Scene1. Chapter 1 begins with Sophie’s poetic musings: “The sea, thesea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, itsaid, come in.” We see variations on these lines echoedthroughout the book (pp. 87, 99, 106, 113, 160, 176, and190). How do the slight changes in this refrain reflect Sophie’schanging relationship with the sea?2. In what ways is The Wanderer like a mystery novel? Howdoes the author “drop clues” for the reader? Did you find itsuspenseful?Thirteen-year-old Sophie, her two cousins, and her three uncles sail across the Atlantic Oceanto England in a forty-five-foot sailboat to visit their grandfather in England. Sophie triesdesperately to prove herself as a sailor, and she and her cousin Cody record the adventures anddangers they experience on their transatlantic journey.Before ReadingThe Wanderer begins with this quotation:“This tale is true, and mine. It tellsHow the sea took me, swept me backAnd forth . . .”—anonymous, “The Seafarer”Ask your students to consider this quotation. What does it tell them about the story tocome? Have any of them been to sea? Does the quotation remind them of the ocean?In what ways?Discussion Questions5. Sophie is the only girl on a crew of men and boys. How doesSophie feel about this? Do the boys and men treat herdifferently because she is a girl? If so, how?6. Uncle Stew decides that each crew member has to teach theothers something while on the trip. What does each of theyoung people’s choices—Cody’s juggling, Sophie’s storytelling,and Brian’s points of sail—show us about these threecharacters? What do the crew members’ attitudes toward oneanother’s choices tell us about them?3. The book first switches from Sophie’s to Cody’s point of viewon page 27, the first entry in his “dog-log.” It’s our first hintthat Sophie is an orphan and has only lived with her currentparents for three years. What was your reaction when youfound out? Did it change your view of Sophie’s reliability asa narrator?4. Sophie’s father calls her Three-sided Sophie on page 3: “oneside is dreamy and romantic; one is logical and down-to-earth;and the third side is hardheaded and impulsive.” Do you agreewith his assessment? Can you find moments in the book thatreflect these three sides of Sophie?7. The characters in The Wanderer all deal with pain differently.What are some of Sophie’s challenges and survival mechanisms?Cody’s? Uncle Mo’s? Uncle Dock’s?8. Sophie’s evolving relationship with Cody is one of the cornerstonesof The Wanderer. How does Sophie’s impression of Codychange from the beginning when she wonders “if he has anybrains in his head” (p. 48)? How does Cody’s impression ofSophie change?9. Sophie has a recurring dream she calls “the one with TheWave” (p. 142). What role do dreams play in this novel?

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